At the Mercy of the Darkness: Ayano's Bizarre Delusions

A Shin Toho Presentation

At the Mercy of the Darkness: Ayano's Bizarre Delusions

The dead body was taken to the garbage dump. The shocking actual scene!! Today I report that some sort of dead remains were discovered...

The dead body was taken to the garbage dump. The shocking actual scene!!

The dead body was taken to the garbage dump. The shocking actual scene!! Here in the Meguro ward, at a garbage dump near a children's park.

The dead body was taken to the garbage dump. The shocking actual scene!! Part of a dead body was discovered. A garbage dump near the scene. Here in the Meguro ward, at a garbage dump near a children's park.

The dead body was taken to the garbage dump. The shocking actual scene!! Part of a dead body was discovered. A garbage dump near the scene.

The dead body was taken to the garbage dump. The shocking actual scene!! Part of a dead body was discovered. A garbage dump near the scene. The police have rushed to the scene. There's no mistake...

The dead body was taken to the garbage dump. The shocking actual scene!! Part of a dead body was discovered. A garbage dump near the scene.

The dead body was taken to the garbage dump. The shocking actual scene!! Part of a dead body was discovered. A garbage dump near the scene. We 've just found out that it was part of a dismembered human corpse.

Part of a dead body was discovered. A garbage dump near the scene. We've just found out that it was part of a dismembered human corpse.

We've just found out that it was part of a dismembered human corpse.

The police have begun a murder investigation...

Did you take a shower in the middle of last night?

Uh, yeah. Was it noisy? Sorry...

It's no big deal.

My husband was my sempai, back in a circle in my student days.

I married him right after graduation.

I never got a job, because my husband didn't want me to.

The reason was that he said he despised worldly women.

But I don't know if it was right or not...

A year after our marriage, he left his job to form an event company,

with friends from the circle back in our school days, and then it failed.

Uh, what about tonight? You're eating dinner, right?

- Yeah. - Have a good day at work.

Have a good day at work!

I'll be back home...

Oh! It's already this late?

At least I got our moderate debt covered by going crying to our families.

He went back to work, and the conditions are worse than at his old job, but it can't be helped.

So then I had to start working.

USA Plaza, Inc.

USA Plaza, Inc. I registered at a temporary agency...

I registered at a temporary agency...

and started working in their office as one of their employees.

I'm sorry for interrupting you when you're busy...

I'm Mizoguchi, of USA Plaza.

I'm sorry for asking this out of the blue,

but do you have any interest in going overseas, Tanaka?

Like travel... or studying abroad?

Yes... Yes...

Right. Sure.

At Plaza, we're linked with an American company...

we're doing a lot of international exchange. We'd like to broaden our activities though...

Essentially, I'm selling English learning materials.

It's the type of thing where a CD and materials are delivered to the home every month.

A set goes for about 300,000 to 400,000 yen. The price is outrageous.

Yes, I know, Tanaka,

but if you put in the time and money, you can do it.

It's like living English...

Yes, very well, can I meet you?

I want you to explain it all to me, while I'm checking out the learning materials...

The learning materials themselves aren't bad,

but to become that good at speaking English would require quite a lot of will power, wouldn't it?

Yes... Yes...

Very well. How about Wednesday afternoon, around 2 O'clock?

Sure, see you then... Yes, good bye.

You made an appointment. Isn't that good?

No, it's kind of SP-ish, though.

It seems the person who joined before me, Keiko Itakura,

still hasn't gotten even one contract.

Even though it's somebody else's business, I'm worried because the salary is based on commission.

Look, my hourly wage... It's 55.7 yen.

Uhm, there's this girl at work...

She's interesting.

Should I describe her as mysterious? She's an airhead.

Even the people at work call her Itako.

Shut up!

Oh, I'm sorry.

Are you working?

Sorry. I'm Mizoguchi, from USA Plaza.

Uhm... Tanaka?

I'm Mizoguchi. I made an arrangement with you over the phone.

Tanaka?

I knew it was SP...

By the way, SP is a special term within our company. It means "stood up."

Yo! Uhm, was your name Mizoguchi?

Yes. I'm Mizoguchi.

Why are you making such a grim face?

When you're doing sales, you've got to do it with a smile.

Yes...

This person is Saijo, a regular full-time employee.

He's the top seller in the company, but I had a hard-time dealing with him.

Can I have a sip? My throat is parched.

I don't use phones at all.

I jump right into door-to-door sales.

That's all I do: Door-to-door sales.

The challenge is on until you open the door, even just getting something like an intercom.

This is difficult, so would you forgive me if I'm turned away at the door? That happens a lot.

But if I visit 10 homes, one of them will open the door. I've got it going on.

Yeah, surprisingly, there're a lot of office ladies, housewives, and married women who live alone.

So I was wondering... what good would it do for such a person to learn English so late? Just kidding.

I do think that, but it isn't my job to consider stuff like that.

A married woman... studying abroad. Isn't that nice?

Well, it's kind of my field of expertise. Listening to people talk, and stuff.

Like discussing their problems...

Thank you. All right, don't be discouraged.

- Yes. - Hey, smile, smile!

See ya!

He's tall, good-looking, and has a bright personality.

He has a charming smile, and there's nothing bad about him at all.

He walks through main street swinging both arms during the day. That's the sort of vibe.

I'm certain... he has a wife, and a child or something.

A happy family...

Hey...

Maybe I'm not good at dealing with Saijo because he makes me feel a sense of inferiority.

No matter what I do, I'm average, and there's nothing I can boast about.

I've never even seriously loved, or been loved by anyone.

My life is like a train-wreck.

Saijo seems to be different from myself, and that's why I have trouble around him.

Essentially, I have an inferiority complex.

Thank you for calling. It's USA Plaza.

Hello. Can you put Yamada on the phone?

Yamada... is it?

I know that person. She's a contractor who quit when you joined.

Uhm, Yamada quit...

I'm Mizoguchi, but I can visit you if you'd like.

Yamada introduced me to the English teaching materials before.

I told her to bring a pamphlet, but she never showed up.

That's why I'm worried.

Uhm, if that's it, then shall it bring it for you?

Who are you?

Uhm, we made an arrangement over the phone.

I'm Mizoguchi, of USA Plaza.

I'm here to explain the English teaching materials...

Oh, yes...

But I can't decide whether or not to buy it...

I'll have to discuss that with my husband.

It was a very pretty hand.

When I was a kid, I was attracted by the left hand...

that I saw in an advertisement in a magazine my mother was reading.

When I think about it now, I realize it was probably an advertisement for a ring.

"When I grow up, I wonder if I'll have hands like that?"

That's the sort of thing I was thinking.

But it didn't turn out that way.

The shape is ugly, and the skin is rough.

And I haven't even gotten my nails done.

These hands of mine are like a reflection of my chaotic emotions.

Those hands were beautiful, like they were pulled out of that picture in the advertisement.

U-Uhm...

In that case, I'll just leave the pamphlet behind and be on my way. Please discuss it with me.

I'll contact you again later.

Thanks.

I don't want any. I've already eaten.

But this morning, you said you'd be eating dinner, right?

I ate. I didn't say whether I'd eat at home or eat out.

But I texted you many times.

Couldn't you at least have replied?

I can't do something like that in front of the people at work.

What are you saying? Isn't it obvious? Are you stupid?

More importantly, get me off.

If it feels good, I'll do you for the first time in a while.

Hey, if I don't hang this up, it'll get wrinkled.

Shut up!

Do it better than that.

I'm tired because I just got back from work.

I've been working too.

But you can't get any contracts, right?

Or were you able to sell?

Fine, shall I buy a new PC?

When are you going to get a payment from commission?

My salary becomes his spending money.

He thinks it's a natural thing.

I can't say anything.

Jerk it at the base with your fingers.

Your hands hurt.

They're rough.

At least take care of your fingernails.

I'm sorry...

"Whose fault is it that my hands are like this?", is what I couldn't say.

It's okay... It's better to do it yourself.

Clean it up.

Uhm, just talk to me! Uhm...

- Good work. - Yo, Mizoguchi, good work, good work.

Uhm, can I have a sip?

Yeah, go ahead. I owe you one for last time anyway.

Thanks.

The way you drink is sexy.

It's an indirect kiss... an indirect kiss.

I couldn't help but think about how his wife probably had the same ring.

I pictured those pretty hands from yesterday in my mind.

In my imagination, the image of those pretty hands melded with the image of Saijo's wife, who I've never even seen.

At that moment, I got extremely turned on.

It was an extreme lust,

the likes of which I had never felt before in my life, until then.

I became aware of my uterus, the way one becomes aware of one's stomach, when one gets hungry.

My uterus grew hot and throbbed, asserting its existence.

My face flushed, and my eyes grew wet. I could tell it even myself.

What sort of person is your wife, Saijo?

Nothing special. Just an ordinary person.

I think what makes a man popular is his awareness of women's desires.

Most men are dull, and go by without noticing a woman's amorous glances...

or feelings of affection, but popular men are different.

It's like they have a high-powered antenna...

they never miss the waves aimed towards them.

Several minutes later, I was at a hotel doing it with Saijo...

It feels good...

You have pretty tits.

Is that so? I've never been told that.

Really? Not by anyone?